Comic-Con: Little Mermaid to Visit 'Once Upon a Time' in Season 3

The announcement came at the tail-end of the ABC fantasy drama's panel Saturday morning at Comic-Con, with a short teaser featuring the Little Mermaid stealing a Dinglehopper from one of the dwarves.

Ballroom 20 erupted in enthusiastic cheers when Ariel's red hair and tail were seen jumping into the water by Storybrooke.

Character announcements are nothing new for the Once Upon a Time gang. Last year, the producers revealed Captain Hook's entrance into the Storybrooke world in season two through a short featurette.

As is usual with Once Upon a Time panels, the Q&A session was light on season-three spoilers, though the panelists revealed that they have been in production for two weeks.

For executive producers Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis, bringing the core cast to Neverland was a long time coming. "The journey was really us waiting for lawyers to figure it out," Kitsis said, adding that in the new season, viewers will see Peter Pan, Tinkerbell and other characters who were introduced last season.

Peter Pan, however, will have a Once Upon a Time twist to the character. "Peter Pan has got a complicated motivation," Horowitz teased. "It's a little different than what you've seen before." Added Kitsis: "He may be a little frightening."

When Captain Hook and company do make their way to Neverland, Kitsis said that "there will be different areas" that they will be visiting. "Some, of course, will be those you remember from the book, and we'll have our own spin on it," he said. "It is a place where anything can happen."

Horowitz hinted that when Tinkerbell comes into the fold, she will have a "surprising connection to someone at this table," referring to stars Jennifer Morrison, Ginnifer Goodwin, Josh Dallas, Colin O'Donoghue, Lana Parilla, Robert Carlyle and Michael Raymond-James.

There were also questions about the progression of the Hook/Emma romance.

"We just shared a drink recently so ..." Morrison teased. O'Donoghue countered: "Maybe it could be time for Hook to get over Milah."